Head Under Water
by babe7878
Summary: Death Sentence - Joe's best friend is just about as tough as Billy, just about as fearful as Billy and just about as confusing as Billy. The only difference is that Joe's best friend is a girl.
1. Riley

Being furious with Joe was nothing new to her. Being furious to the point where she wanted to punch his face in was still nothing new to her. The thing that was new to Riley was that Joe wasn't trying to win back her attention. They weren't dating, that would never happen. The two of them had known each other since she was twelve.

Joe was two years older than her and now, at the age of twenty-one, Joe was twenty-three and had just gotten away from major charges, murder that is, if only for a few more nights. She read the papers, she knew about Brandon Hume. Fortunately for her, that was the first night in a long time she hadn't been riding around with the gang.

Now, Riley sat on a stool, right at the bar inside the Four Roses, trying her hardest to tune out Joe. He was partially drunk, his words slurring majorly and his voice projecting much louder than normal. She ran a hand through her shoulder-length dark brown, straight as pin, hair and then slid her half empty glass of beer back towards the bartender. She stood up and stared at the group, heading right for the table they were all sitting around.

Joe had looked at her as she approached; he knew he was in for it now. The only reason she wasn't 'officially' part of the gang was because she was a female. She was just as tough as any of the boys. She was as tall as most of them. She could hit just as hard as all of them. The only person in the gang that was even slightly stronger than her was Billy. He still didn't scare her.

Joe's eyes darted back and forth. He was sitting in the booth between Heco and Billy and he knew that Riley's wrath was _just _as bad as Billy's. Joe squirmed and wiggled and ended up slouched down in the booth to the point where his chin was at the same level as the table. Riley reached the table and leaned across it, only a foot away from Joe. Her short leather jacket bunching in at the elbows, her light gray t-shirt hugging her curves in all the right places. Her black jeans were tight at the thighs but looser past the knees.

"Hey Joey." She said. Her voice was clearly sweet in a sarcastic way. It was how she worked; she would use her womanly ways to get him to the point where she would turn on him completely.

"Riley, what's up?" Joe said, his voice was more high pitched than normal, he was afraid of what she was going to do.

"Joe…why must you cower from me?"

Billy looked at her and subdued a smirk. He had been around her long enough to know that Joe was in for it and no matter what he said, she was going to hit him.

"Riley, Riley, Riley." Billy intervened. Had it of been any other night, he would have let her continued to toy with his baby brother but since Joe had made him so proud by dodging the immediately jail sentence, he was willing to direct her anger away from Joe, but just for the night.

"Butt out Darley!" She turned her head sharply at him and glared. Joe may also have been a Darley but she only ever called Billy that. Joe was always Joe or Joey; it was just something she did.

"Babe, why don't you step off of Joey boy here?"

"What's in it for me?" She asked, her eyebrow raised and her eyes narrowed.

"Whatever the fuck you want." She knew Billy was humouring her, he always did.

Riley stared at him. There was always a sort of attraction between the two, Riley ignored it, Billy was rarely caught flirting with her in front of the boys, he did however flirt with her when she was at his and Joe's apartment.

"Darley, I want your baby brother on a platter, can you do that for me?"

Billy made a quick motion to the guys and they all stood up and made there way out of the booth. He stepped out of the booth too and leaned down beside her.

"Back the fuck off Riley." He snarled, right into her ear.

Anyone else would have been scared but not Riley. She stood up slowly, he followed her lead. At her full height, she only came up to his chest, face to face with his silver cross. He looked down at her, his eyes shooting daggers at her.

"Fine." She used a tone that showed that she wasn't scared of him, just irritated. Riley could hold her own but she didn't feel like arguing with him tonight.

"Now that's a good fucking little girl." Billy mocked her.

"Well I learn from the best." She replied, a sarcastic smile appearing on her face.

He tilted his head at her. She stared at him for a few more seconds before dodging his stare and walking right out of the bar. The air outside was much fresher than the cigarette smoke filled bar. The temperature was slightly colder outside too, Riley hugged her jacket around her body and stalked away from the bar.

She turned onto the road, walking alongside the curb. Joe's first hearing was the next day and he wasn't ready at all. He didn't even seem to care. She, on the other hand, had watched many a man go to jail and come out completely changed, mostly for the worse.

She had been walking for maybe twenty minutes before she heard the cars. Two of them, of course. She lifted her head, stopped walking and turned to face the opposite way down the road. She had to squint he eyes to look past the bright headlights of the mustangs.

The two cars slowed down and pulled over. Billy remained in the driver's seat of the first one, black with red tribal designs while Heco climbed out of the driver's seat of the second one, red with black tribal designs. She dropped her arms in frustration as he approached her.

"What?" She asked, irritated beyond belief.

"Billy wants you in the car."

"What the fuck for?" She asked, her fists clenched.

"Would you get in the fucking car!" Heco barked at her.

She raised her eyebrow and tilted her head at him. She didn't have to take his abuse, and she wasn't going to. She hated being yelled at, hated being treated as the gang's toy. She took a step closer and put her hand on her hip.

"Heco leave me alone." She said, rather calmly.

"Fuck me." He muttered.

"You wish." She smirked.

It was at that moment that Billy opened the door of the car and stepped out. He pulled out a cigarette and his lighter, handing the lighter to her. She knew he was trying to embarrass her, to put her back in her place. She refused to take the lighter. Heco looked at Billy, then at her. Anyone else would have taken the lighter and done whatever Billy had wanted them to do.

"Take the lighter." Billy said.

"Or what?" Riley argued back.

"Riley babe, just take the lighter." Heco urged her on; he was more scared for her than she was.

"What Darley, am I just a joke monkey to you now? A little slave?" She was taunting him, fighting back against his attempt to put her in place.

"Take the fucking lighter!" He screamed at her.

"Way to use your words like a big boy." She laughed.

"Get in the fucking car!" Billy barked.

"Why should I?"

Billy threw his hand at her and grabbed her wrist tightly. Her jerked her forward so that she was standing in front of him. Heco quickly turned around and hopped back into the car he was driving and watched as Billy shoved her forward, all the way around the car. The passenger door was already opened for him by Joe, who was in the back seat behind the passenger seat. Billy shoved her into the Mustang and slammed the door shut.

She had squirmed and wiggled her way into a sitting position by the time Billy climbed into the driver's seat. He glared at her one last time before speeding off down the street.


	2. Needed

**_Chapter 2_**

Joe was the first of the three to walk into the apartment after dropping the rest of the boys off at their corners so they could work. Joe walked right into the kitchen and watched as Billy shoved Riley forward, finally ending up in the living room. They both stood in front of each other, Riley staring up at him and Billy glaring down at her. Joe remained quiet in the kitchen.

"Look _Darley,_ I don't need you to protect me." She stated, poking him in the chest.

"Fuck Riley!" He retorted.

"Why must we play these games? Why can't you just leave me alone to wander the streets all night by myself? I know you don't really care about me, and I don't care."

"For Joe. You better thank Joe. He's the only fucking reason I put the fuck up with you. If it wasn't for my boy Joe over there, you would be walking them streets by your fucking self."

"No it's not." She retorted.

"What?"

"No it's not. You can't bear to live without me and you know it. You _need_ me."

Billy didn't say a word, he just stared at her.

"You need me by your side. If I weren't there, you'd be walking around without a goddamn clue as to where your boys are. You _need_ me." She smirked at him.

"No."

"Just say it Darley."

"No fucking way."

"Why not? You know without me you'd all be lost, especially Joe." Riley stated.

"No."

"Three words Darley."

"Fuck you Riley!" He barked.

"You wish." She scrunched up her nose.

She wasn't afraid of him; she didn't really have much left in her life that was worth living for. She glanced down at his fist and shook her head at him. He didn't have the guts to hit her, he wasn't going to admit it out loud but he did need her. She was just as scary to the guys as he was and if they double-crossed her, they'd have hell to pay to both her and Billy.

Riley sighed and went to turn to walk away, Billy caught her arm and pulled her back around to face him. Joe had exited the kitchen and had disappeared into his bedroom, shutting the door behind him. Billy stared at her.

"What?" She screamed.

"I need you." He said, in a whisper.

"You or the gang?" She asked, quieting her screaming voice.

"I do."

Riley stepped closer to him, closing the gap slightly. He sniffed the air and continued to stare down at her.

"You know Darley, you're kind of sexy when you're not about to rip my head off."

He shrugged but she had already started to walk away. She pushed Joe's bedroom door open and waltzed right in, Billy knew he wasn't going to see her again until the next night. He also knew the Riley wasn't going to be sharing a bed with Joe, she would easily get him to sleep either on the floor or out on the couch. Billy growled before marching into his own bedroom, slamming the door behind him.

Riley walked out of Joe's bedroom bright and early the next morning. She walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table. She looked around the kitchen and her eyes landed on Billy's jacket, hanging limply over the back of a chair. She chuckled to herself, she knew exactly what she did to him, it was obvious to her.

Ever since the day she met him, he had wanted her. He would never hurt her for that fact alone, he simply wanted her. She played hard to get, knowing it was probably better for her to not be directly involved with him. It would certainly keep the gang in check; none of them would have to worry about getting in between the two.

Joe stumbled out of his bedroom, partially hung over and mostly tired. He scratched at his head and wandered into the kitchen, sitting down at the table with Riley. He flopped onto the table and looking at her with one eye open, the other shut.

"Riley, I don't wanna go to court." He whined. He was always a bit whiney in the mornings, especially those mornings when he had been drinking the night before.

"Joe you have to." She stated.

"Can't you go for me?" He asked, smirking at her.

"Joey I'm going with you."

"What for?"

"To support you."

Joe rolled his eyes at her, he didn't need her there, she was just doing what she did best, watching over him. It went along with being best friends, in fact, Riley thought of Joe as almost a brother, they were that close. Joe stood up and dragged his feet back into his bedroom, closing the door behind him.

Riley stood up too and wandered towards Billy's close door. She stopped in front of it and knocked so lightly that she barely heard her own knocking. She waited a few seconds before knocking again, this time slightly louder. She let out a huff but the door flung open, Billy standing there glaring at her.

"Morning sunshine." Riley smiled at him.

"Fuck." He muttered.

"Look Darley, give me your car keys and we won't have any problems."

"No." Billy replied, rather calmly.

"Why not?"

"I'm dropping you two halfwits off."

"Just give me the keys." She glared at him.

"Riley…"

"Darley hand 'em over."

"Riley."

"Fuck Darley, give me the goddamn keys!"

"Riley!" He yelled at her. She didn't cower but she remained silent.

Her eyes narrowed at him. He pulled the car keys out of his pocket and dangled them in front of her face. In a way they acted like children with each other, fighting over the stupidest things and behaving like immature toddlers.

"Riley the day I hand over these keys is the day that I die." He stated with a malicious smirk.

"That can be arranged." She said sarcastically.

"That's an empty promise." He laughed at her.

He brushed past her and left her standing there. She growled at him and walked back into Joe's room, sitting on his bed and watching as he picked at his hair, trying to get it to go into the style he wanted.

"Riley, what would I do without you?" Joe pondered.

"Probably a lot of the same stuff you do with me." She replied.

"Yeah, you're right. I guess it would just be less painful afterwards." Joe teased her. She always had some form of punishment for his stupid actions and most of the time it was physical.

"Come on, we should get going."


	3. Big Girl

**_Chapter 3_**

Riley sat on a bench behind Joe, her arms crossed over her chest, watching, as he was declared innocent. She looked at Nike Hume and bit her tongue, analyzing him. She watched as he rushed out of the courtroom and out of sight all together. Joe strutted coolly out of the courtroom, Riley following him closely.

Joe walked outside and smirked at the sounds of the cars. Riley remained back in the doorway, watching as the two Mustangs pulled up and stopped. She crossed her arms and leaned against the brick wall. Heco, Bodie and Baggy all looked up the steps at her. She nodded her head, acknowledging that she had seen them. Spink made his way up the steps and stopped a few feet in front of her.

"We're dropping Joe off, you coming?" He asked.

"Why would I miss this?" She asked back, a smirk appearing on her lips.

Riley pushed herself off of the brick wall and ran down the steps in front of Spink. She caught a glimpse of Nick Hume and shivered slightly. Billy was too busy congratulating Joe and praising him to notice the glare Mister Hume was giving them.

Spink got into the car that Riley wasn't getting into. Riley, on the other hand, climbed into the car with Billy and Joe, Bodie riding with Joe in the back, leaving Riley in the front seat. She remained silent the whole ride to where Billy was dropping Joe off at. It was only when Joe climbed out of the car that Riley even moved. She reached out her open window and grabbed Joe's hand, pulling him close to her.

"Joey, be careful." She whispered.

"Riley, there's nothing to worry about." Joe smiled at her.

"Promise me you'll be careful."

"Fine, I promise." Joe replied.

"Joey I love you." She nodded. Billy scoffed from the driver's seat at her.

"Riley, I'll see you later." He smiled.

She nodded at him and waved as he walked away from the car. Something didn't feel right about Joe. She tried to breathe more slowly and calmly. It was Billy who finally broke her from her thoughts.

"Are you done?" He asked, his hands on the steering wheel.

"Yeah." She shot back at him.

Billy pulled the car away, Riley watching the building from out her window. She stared and stared until she couldn't see the building anymore. She turned her head away from the window and stared at Billy, his eyes weren't moving from the road. The car was silent as they drove.

Riley hopped out of the car when Billy pulled into 'the office'. She marched right up the steps and leaned against the column on the left side of the doorway. She looked up at the sky, it was starting to turn dark, and night was approaching. Her stomach still felt uneasy but there was nothing she could do about it.

Billy strode up the steps, two at a time, easily conquering them in four strides. He stopped in his tracks, the rest of the boys continuing to walk into the office, completely ignoring Riley altogether. Billy took three steps and was already in front of her, he looked at her, void of any emotion.

"Ten minutes then we're going home." Billy stated.

"We?"

"You and me."

"Why?"

"I gave my corner to Heco, he owes me and I've got nothing else to fucking do."

"Why would I want to spend the night with you?" She asked, clearly disgusted by the suggestion.

"Because-"

"Because why?" She asked, her eyes widening in irritation.

"Because I will fuck your brains out." He smirked.

She looked at him and gagged. Billy stared at her. He knew full well that she was toying with his head; she had clearly given him signals that she wanted that before.

"No, I'm getting out of here." She shook her head.

"Riley get in the fucking car!"

"Not tonight Darley." She replied, ever so calm. His eyes narrowed at her and his nostrils flared.

"Fine, don't come home crying to me."

"Fine." She shrugged, stepping away from the column.

She shook her head at him as she walked right past him, heading back away from the building. Billy stared at he as she hopped down the steps, not phased by him, yet again. He was starting to lose his patience. Why wasn't she just afraid of him? He had yet to figure it out.

Riley walked down the sidewalk, her arms hanging at her sides, moving slightly as she walked. She had a slight bounce in her step, walking as though she was superior. She knew that if anyone even breathed at her wrong, she would kick their ass, and if she didn't, Joe and Billy would. Riley looked out at the cars parked on the side of the road, she laughed to herself at a nice, big Cadillac, clearly being parked in the wrong part of town. She laughed even harder as the man who owned the car struggled to get to his car before the few young teens started bagging on him.

She watched as the younger of the two teens landed a punch right on the guy's face, knocking him back but not down. Riley snorted with laughter at the two teens before jogging over to the owner of the Cadillac. She stood between the two teens and the man, staring at the teens with her steely glare. They almost laughed at her. Surely they could take out a girl.

The younger one tried to land a punch on her but she easily blocked it, grabbing his arm and twisting it behind his back. She pushed him away from the car, before shoving him out into the street where he landed on his knees. She turned around and grabbed the second one who had already tried to attack her. She fought him off easier than the first and pushed him down onto the road before kicking him in the side, watching him twitched with the force. The first teen she had taken out had stood up and started to run away, down the street. She watched for a few more seconds as the second teen did the same, running fast enough to catch up with the first.

Riley turned around and faced the man she had helped out. He stood with his back against his car, staring at her as though she had three heads. He reached out his hand and waited for her to take it.

"Th-Thank you miss." He stuttered. She took his hand and shook it before smiling at him and continuing on down the street.

Why she had chosen the man's side, she knew exactly. She hated to watch teenagers who think they own the world take out an easy target. She knew that they picked the man because he wouldn't put up much of a fight and then he'd be too scared to report it to anyone. It was a lesson they needed to be taught and she was the teacher: never underestimate your opponent. They had laughed when she first broke in, it always happened that way.

Riley turned around and looked back where the Cadillac had been just minutes earlier. She figured the man had climbed into his car and left immediately after, not bothering to put his life in danger to find out who had saved his life. Riley kept walking, past the Four Roses; no one was there, at least no one that she knew.

She let out a small yawn, it was getting late and she was somewhat tired from the long day, not to mention her little show of fighting off the two punk teens. Riley walked and walked, she walked until she hit the apartment. She walked right up into the apartment and up the stairs to the third floor where she now called home. She had nothing left outside of her life with Joe and Billy, Joe knew it. She pushed the door open and wandered inside.

Somehow, knowing that Joe wasn't going to be home at all that night was comforting. As she wandered into the apartment further, she knew that just because Joe wasn't home, didn't mean she was going to be all alone. She walked into the living room and spotted him, lying on the couch, spread out as far as he could possibly be. She swallowed the laugh in her throat and leaned against the back of the couch, he turned his head slowly and looked at her, he had clearly been drinking.

"Where the fuck have you been?" He asked, glaring at her now.

"Out and about."

"Doing what?"

"If I told you, you'd probably kill me." She replied, subduing a smile.

"Come here."

She pushed herself off of the couch and walked around it, standing over him. He sat up slightly, although still slouched into the couch. Hi legs moved from being on the couch to being stretched out and resting on the coffee table.

"You can't just go out by yourself." He stated, he could be moody and caring when he had been drinking, she always loved to see what he'd say to her.

"I'm a big girl." She replied with a smile.

"But you're _my_ big girl."

She coughed at him to cover up her laugh. He sat up straight and moved his feet from off of the coffee table. He put his elbows on his knees and crossed them. Riley sat on the coffee table in front of him and looked at him, she wasn't laughing or smiling at him anymore.

"Billy…" She rarely called him that. Only when she was trying to make her point and when she was seriously in thought did she ever call him that.

"Riley, look. Do you want to keep pretending that you don't like me or do you want to know what I really thing of you?"

Riley leaned in closer, meaning she was listening now. Maybe earlier she would have just stood up and walked away but for the moment, her stomach finally felt fine. The uneasiness was completely wiped away and forgotten.

"Billy-"

"I want you." He said, flat out.

As much as she wanted him at that moment, she was reluctant. He was buzzed, probably halfway drunk and she didn't know if what he was saying was true or if he just wanted anyone at that moment. She moved back, sitting up straight. He raised his head and looked at her.

"No." She said quietly.

Billy's eyes widened and he clenched his jaw. She went to stand up, to walk away before she did anything stupid and regretful. Billy grabbed her wrist and pulled on her arm. She turned around and looked at him. For the first time in over five years, he looked scared. He pulled on her arm harder and she came crashing down onto him. He immediately wrapped his arms around her back and held her tight against him.

"Please Riley." He was begging her now.

For the first time in over five years, she found herself saying 'yes' to Billy Darley.


	4. Refuge

**_Chapter 4_**

She opened her eyes and looked around his room. It was empty, he was gone. It wasn't really much of a shock to her; he normally left the apartment before anyone else, first to leave always. She wrapped the sheets around her naked body tighter and sighed. She had to get up eventually, but she didn't really want to. She stood up, dragging the sheets with her as she walked right from his room to the bathroom, hopping into the shower, leaving the sheets in a pile in front of the tub.

When she climbed out of the shower, she heard a ruckus out in the kitchen. She wrapped a towel around her body and held it against her. Normally she wouldn't have been scared to death but she was completely defenseless and wrapped in a towel. It was almost as vulnerable as she got, the only thing worse would have been if she heard the ruckus before she had the towel. She kicked the sheets against the wall and opened the bathroom door slightly, peeking out to see if she could see whom it was. They were out of her line of vision.

She quietly closed the door shut and opened the medicine cabinet, looking for anything she could use as a weapon. She moved a couple bottles of pills and spotted a small pair of scissors. She gripped the scissors in her hand so tight, her knuckles turned white. She held the towel in one hand and the scissors in the other. Pushing open the door, Riley pressed her back against the wall and jumped into the doorway, looking out at the empty apartment. She still didn't see anyone.

A noise from Billy's bedroom assured her that someone was, in fact, in the apartment. She slid her feet across the floor and swiftly made her way towards his room. She stopped just shy of the open doorway and took a huge breath. She turned her head and peeked into the room before jumping into the doorway and growling.

Billy turned around and laughed at her, his dark and crazy laugh. She tightened her grip on the towel but dropped the scissors to the floor; they landed and bounced slightly before landing again on the floor.

"Fuck Riley." He smirked at her.

"Where's Joe?" She asked.

"This is a nice fucking greeting."

She just stared at him. He walked towards her and looked down at her. She grabbed on the towel with her free hand and held on to it for dear life. Billy set his hands on her hips and swayed back and forth.

"Why so shy?" He asked, almost taunting her.

With that, she loosened her grip on the towel and let it fall. She stood there, in front of him in nothing, the towel remaining around her hips just from his hands. As soon as he moved his hands, the towel hit the floor at her feet. Her lips curled into a smirk.

She set her hands against his chest and pushed him back towards the bed. The back of his knees hit the end of it and buckled. He fell back onto the bed, leaning on his elbows. She went first for his shirt, pulling it up; he helped her get it over his head. Then she crawled up in top of him, kissing his bare chest. She straddled him as he pushed her back; he continued to look at her.

"What?" She asked.

"Get dressed, we gotta go."

With that, he pushed her back, grabbed his shirt and walked out of the room. She threw her head back in frustration before grabbing her shirt off his floor from the night before. Gathering up her clothes, she quickly got dressed.

When she met him in the kitchen, he just stared at her. She had so many things to ask him, so many thoughts about him. He was just wanting to get going. She didn't even know why he had come back to get her but she wasn't going to push the issue.

"Ready?"

"Yeah Darley." She replied, back to old swing of things.

She walked towards the front door, throwing on her leather jacket then waiting for him to put his on. Hers was black but his was longer and brownish green in colour. She made a stupid face out of irritation and he glared at her, stepping to meet up with her. She anticipated him grabbing her wrist and jerking her forward but he didn't. Instead he put his arm around her shoulders and walked calmly with her. A first, yet again, for Billy Darley and she had, yet again, caused it.

_XxxxxxXxxxxxX_

Billy pulled the car up to the office and stepped out. There was no arm around her shoulders anymore; she knew it was because of the guys, she knew it was because he wasn't going to show them his one weakness. He did however, walk behind her, up the steps. An act that, to Billy Darley, meant he was protecting her, laying a claim on her. He stalked up behind her as she pushed the door open and stepped inside, trying not to breathe as often as she would normally.

He walked in behind her, ushering her towards the main part where Bodie was standing over the table with a couple of the others. He turned around and looked at the two of them. Billy glared back at him and was about to start yelling at him for not doing his job but Bodie cut him off.

"You hear. Joe dude, somebody stuck him. He's dead."

Riley's eyes widened in horror. She fought off tears, not wanting to show weakness in front of any of them. She could feel her throat tighten and decided that she was going to remain silent for as long as she possibly could.

"What? You're lying." Billy refused to believe it.

"He's gone." Bodie stated again, changing the wording to get his point across more thoroughly.

Billy glared at him one final time before turning around and stomping out of there. Bodie watched him until he disappeared before looking towards Riley. She broke out of her frozen state and turned around, following Billy.

She picked up her pace, breaking into a run as soon as she exited the office. Billy was sitting in the Mustang, leaning against the steering wheel. He looked up and they locked eyes. She broke eye contact and kept running. She just ran, away from Billy, away from the office and away from what Joe had been a part of. She kept running, down the street, down the road, as fast as she could. Her legs grew tired about twenty minutes after starting to run. She had made it halfway to the Four Roses and started walking. It was nowhere near dark, and all she wanted was to be alone. She turned down an alley and parked her bum on the concrete, leaning against the wall. She closed her eyes and thought of Joe as tears rolled down her cheeks.

_XxxxxxXxxxxxX_

She had been sitting in the alleyway for a long time. It had turned dark and she knew that she had to find refuge somewhere, as much as she wanted to be alone, she knew she wouldn't survive the night on the street. She picked herself up off the ground and stretched out her legs before starting the walk for the Four Roses.

It had cooled off significantly but she kept walking anyways. The cold never really did bother her; she did however hate the heat. She walked and walked; glancing around at the people she walked by, daring them to come after her. Her head was screaming at them but her voice remained silent. She wanted so badly to hit something, to find whoever did that to Joe and take them out. Joe was her best friend and now, he too, was gone.

She marched up to the front of the Four Roses and pushed the door open. She walked up to the bar and seated herself on a stool. She hunched her shoulders up and sat there, listening. She heard the boys in the back, she heard Billy, making a little speech about Joe. It made her heart ache more, knowing how much Billy truly respected Joe. It was a mighty shame he didn't show it more often.

She stood up off the stool and made her way towards the back, towards the boys. Standing behind Billy, she watched them, toast to Joe's honour before she made any kind of noise. She let out a small yelp and Billy turned around, his eyes boring into her. She didn't have the strength to fight back as he grabbed her upper arm and pushed her towards the front of the bar. Her lip quivered and her eyes remained wide open.

He pushed her outside the bar, towards the car. He shoved her so her back was against the car and she was facing him. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked at him. He let his arms hang loosely at his side, watching her, waiting for her to do something, anything. She uncrossed her arms and inhaled deeply before punching him, as hard as she could. She started hitting him with both hands, fists flying at him; he wasn't going to fight back.

She edged closer and closer to him, hitting him more and more. Her punches only became weaker; she was losing her strength with each punch landed. Her punches turned into weak slaps as she eventually collapsed against him, sobs escaping her throat. Billy didn't hold her, not at all, instead he struggled with her to open the driver's door. He got it open and pushed her in before striding around to the other side and climbing into the passenger's side.

She was curled up on the seat, her arms wrapped around her knees as she sobbed. Billy shut the passenger door and reached across the seat. She jumped at his touch but slid across the bench seat and buried her face into his shoulder. He slowly set his arms around her and hugged her, listening to her sobs and her screams.


	5. River

**_Chapter 5_**

Upon taking her back to the apartment, she collapsed inside it and let out a scream. Billy closed the door and walked in past her. She kneeled on the floor and screamed again. He couldn't take it much longer. He turned around and walked back to her, standing in front of her. She looked up at him, tears streaming down her face.

"Shut the fuck up!" He screamed back at her.

She glared at him, "You fucking killed him!"

Billy had to take a step back, not believing that she had just screamed that at him. She slowly stood up, taking a step towards him.

"You and your fucking lifestyle!" She screamed at him again.

"Riley." He said in a warning tone.

"You're his fucking brother, you were supposed to protect him!"

She clearly wasn't going to listen to him, although, she never really did.

"Riley!" He screamed back at her.

"What Billy? Are you going to hit me? Are you going to fucking hit me?"

He reached back and pulled out his gun, pointing it at her. He stared at her as she glared at him.

"Do it." She said, no longer screaming.

He cocked his head at her.

"Just fucking SHOOT ME!" She was screaming once again.

His finger was resting on the trigger; he was looking at her, tears still streaming down her face. She was breathing heavily, as was he.

"Do it Billy! Just do it!"

He started to drop his hand; she continued to glare at him.

"You fucking pussy! You killed Joe! Why can't you kill me?"

Billy dropped the gun to the floor and dropped to his knees. She scooted closer to him and set her hands on the side of his neck. He looked at her, their eyes connecting.

"Billy you're all I have left." She whispered.

_XxxxxxXxxxxxX_

At three in the morning, Riley woke up. In her dream she had witnessed Joe dying as she hid in the shadows. She easily could have saved him but for some reason she was scared. She had jerked awake but remained still. She felt Billy's hand on her hip; she was trying not to wake him as she shifted slightly. She knew she failed as his fingers moved. She lay still as his hand moved up her side and snaked around her stomach. He pulled her closer to him.

"Billy." She whispered. He yawned behind her.

"Yeah?"

"Never mind." She muttered.

Billy grunted at her and fell back into silence. She moved her eyes around the room. Her ears heard every little sound from outside, cars driving down the road, the wind blowing gently and even footsteps on the sidewalk below. Every sound she heard reminded her of Joe. When she closed her eyes, all she saw was Joe. She opened her eyes and kept them open as she wiggled out of his grasp and out of the bed altogether. She pulled on her jeans and wandered out of the bed, her t-shirt had never come off to start with.

She tiptoed out into the living room and grabbed her shoes, putting them on. She then tiptoed into the kitchen and spotted his leather coat, hanging over the back of the chair. She dug into the pocket and wrapped her fingers around the car keys. She turned for the door of the apartment and ran for it, needing to escape.

She ran down the stairs, her feet making loud thuds with each step she hit. She jumped off the last three and landed loudly at the bottom, continuing to run right out of the apartment. She stopped running by slamming her body against the side of the car, jamming the key into the door, unlocking it.

She ripped the door open and climbed in, pulling it shut. Quickly she shoved the key into the ignition and turned the car on. She knew Billy would eventually hear her, he wasn't completely out cold. She looked up at the window that belonged to the apartment and saw Billy; he was looking out the window at her. He was too far away for her to tell what his facial expression held, although she knew it was most likely anger.

She backed away from the apartment and drove, as fast as she could, to anywhere that would offer her any kind of refuge. She had been driving for a good twenty minutes before stopping the car, pulling off to the side of the road and looking out at the scenery in front of her.

It was the river where she and Joe had first met. She remembered it clear as day.

_She had been sitting on the edge of the river with her feet dangling into the water. It was the day of her twelfth birthday and her parents had left the city the day before to visit one of her dad's good friends. They hadn't exactly skipped her birthday for that morning she had received a phone call. Her parents had been struck by a drunk driver the night before and had died upon impact. Now she sat on the edge of the river, more alone that she had ever been._

_She had been so lost in thought that when the young boy walked up, he had startled her. She had looked at him but was not scared. She knew how to handle herself; she also had nothing left in her life and knew that if he did do something, it wouldn't matter anyways. He had sat down beside her and tossed a small pebble into the river, watching as it made ripples across the calm surface. She snorted at him and he turned his head to stare at her. _

"_What?" He asked, clearly offended by her snort._

_Looking at him in detail she found that he wasn't scary at all. His hair was blonde and short, looking as though it naturally stood up on end. His eyes were a soft brown and the look of shock on his face was kind of amusing._

"_You must be pretty lame to be sitting by a river with a complete stranger." She said, another snort at him as well._

"_You looked lonely." He laughed at her._

_She looked back out at the river, the ripples he caused seconds earlier were gone and the surface was calm again. _

"_Yeah. That's me, Riley, all alone." She stated._

"_Nice name." He teased her._

"_Yeah what's yours?" She looked irritated with him._

"_Joe." He drawled, rocking his head back and forth, side to side._

"_Lame." She retorted._

_He shrugged. He was just trying to be somewhat nice, it just wasn't in his blood. She looked back at the river and stared. Her birthday, alone, it all just made her sad. _

"_Today's my birthday." She stated quietly, almost whispering it._

"_Yeah how old are you?"_

"_Twelve."_

_There was a small pause, then he threw his arm around her shoulders and gave her an awkward hug._

"_Happy birthday Riley." He said, she knew, even if he was a complete stranger, that he was genuine in saying it._

She climbed out of the car and carefully stepped closer to the river. She squatted down but didn't actually sit. Grabbing a small pebble, she tossed it into the river and smiled.

"Mom, dad, take care of Joey for me?" She asked, looking up towards the sky.

_XxxxxxXxxxxxX_

The only way Billy could get to her was by taking Heco, Bodie and Baggy along, since he had to use Heco's car. He pulled up behind _his_ black Mustang and turned the car off. Bodie looked out the back window at her and then to Billy. She was sitting on the edge of the river, tossing a rock into it every so often. Baggy glanced at her, then at his feet. He knew Billy wasn't going to go easy on her just because she was mourning.

The only thing that broke her out of her trance was the car door slamming shut and Billy's muttering, directed towards her. She jerked her head at him and quickly stood up. She put her one hand on her hip and the other hand up on her shoulder. He marched right up to her and stood in front of her, scowling at her.

"What the fuck are you doing?" He yelled.

She glanced past him at the three other guys and knew that he wasn't going to be 'nice Billy'. Now he had an audience and she knew she was in for it, she didn't really care.

"Sorry." She mumbled. It was rare for her to admit to him that she was wrong; she just didn't feel like standing up for herself.

"Sorry?" He asked, shocked at her actually backing away from him.

"Yeah, I apologize." She dug her hand into her pocket and pulled out the keys, extending them towards Billy.

He stared at her before snatching his keys out of her hand. He turned around and just walked away from her, towards his car. She turned back around and faced the river, staring at it.

"Riley get in the fucking car!" Billy yelled, standing with the driver's door open.

She twisted her body, looking at him, decked out in Joe's deep red leather jacket. She sucked in a breath of the fresh air, finally turning towards him. She started walking for the car, noticing that Heco had gotten into the driver's seat of his own car. She pulled open Billy's passenger door and climbed in, remaining completely and utterly silent as he drove back towards the apartment.

"Billy no." She whined, upon seeing the apartment in view.

"What the fuck do you want me to do with you then?"

"Take me with you." She begged.

"I'm not letting you tag along."

"Billy I can hold my own, please?"

"Fine Riley, shine up your Colt and get ready for tomorrow."

She smiled at him. He stopped the car in front of the apartment and she jumped out of the car. He watched as she ripped up the steps and disappeared into the building. He slowly backed up and made his way towards the office to let the rest of the boys know what the agenda was for the next day.


	6. Run

**_Chapter 6_**

Riley marched out of the apartment, following Billy, dressed in his leather jacket, closely the next morning. He had walked with her to the car, remained silent the whole way to the office and finally spoke to her when he had parked the car outside the abandoned mental hospital. He turned his head to look at her before he got out of the car.

"Riley, promise me you'll be careful."

"Come on Darley, you know I never am." She grinned at him.

"I'm being fucking serious."

"Alright, fine, I'll be careful."

Suddenly being included in his revenge didn't seem as thrilling as she thought it was going to be.

"If you get into trouble, don't try to get out of it the 'Riley' way okay?"

"The 'Riley' way? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just do what I tell you to okay?"

Riley rolled her eyes at him. He shook his head at her before climbing out of the car. She walked behind him into the office, walking right into the gathering of the rest of the gang. Bodie looked at her and nodded, acknowledging her presence. Billy caught him and glared at him.

"Let's get this motherfucker." Just a few words from Billy's mouth and the boys were riled up and ready to go.

Riley walked behind Billy, next to Heco. She was excited but hiding her smile wasn't hard, she wanted to get a piece of Nick Hume, she wanted to take from him the same thing he took from Joe, and she wasn't the only one.

_XxxxxxXxxxxxX_

Riley hung back with Bodie as they stood and watched for any sign of Nick Hume. He soon walked out of the building, his briefcase in hand. They watched him walk into a nearby drug store, remaining hot on his trail. She fell back as Bodie motioned for her to spread out. She watched as Bodie closed in on him, also spotting Billy standing up the street farther.

Bodie was a few feet behind him, his gun readied, almost about to shoot him when Mister Hume flew around, smashing the gun from Bodie's hands. Riley watched as it flew threw the air, then her eyes landed back on Bodie, he had been hit and had fallen to the ground. Billy had jumped out from where he was standing and shot at Nick, he dodged every bullet.

He started to run, Riley watched him, hoisting Bodie back onto his feet before darting after him too. Billy had ended up in the front of the pack, chasing him across the street and down an alley. Riley looked every which way, her heart pounding. He was so close to being taken out yet so far.

Billy shot off a few more rounds at him, missing him completely. This Nick Hume guy was fast and lucky. Riley ran right behind Billy now, the only one able to keep up with his long strides. She watched as Nick dodged another bullet. She turned the corner after Billy and noted that Nick had gotten rid of his briefcase. She ran ahead still, forcing her way in front of all but Billy as they jammed themselves into a narrow alley.

"Fuck!" She heard Baggy yell as he shoved Spink forward.

They flew out into a parking lot, watching and catching a glimpse of Nick shoving a gate open and darting through it. Billy was keeping good pace; he had yet to lose him. Riley was right behind him, wanting desperately to prove that she was just as good as any other member.

She took the lead as the rest of them ran. She had bypassed Billy completely, chasing Nick Hume down yet another alley. She could hear the boys behind her whopping and cheering. Nick hit a pile of boxes but was back on his feet faster than he had gone down. She fell back, letting Billy regain the lead as he shot at him once again.

Mister Hume had led them right into a restaurant kitchen. He had attempted to barricade the door but the force of the gang had taken only seconds to break through it. Nick Hume had gained maybe ten seconds on his lead but Riley shoved her way through the kitchen, again taking the lead away from Billy. She continued running, even when Billy stopped and demanded to know where he went from one of the workers.

She continued to run after him, glancing back to see that Billy had split the group up. She darted through the restaurant, hot on his trail. She could see him now as the two of them ran through what looked like a basement. She ducked when the bullet from Billy's gun blew threw the air, narrowly missing her. She popped back up and slowed down her pace, letting Billy catch up. She wasn't going to risk getting shot just for some revenge plot.

Minutes later, flights of stairs overtaken and a few broken doors later, Riley still ran behind Billy through the parkade. She slowed her pace to a fast walk and kept up with Billy. He pointed for Tommy to take the top level and demanded that Jamie get his ass in there. Riley shook her head at all of the car alarms going off. She had to give it to Nick Hume; he was smarter than he looked.

Billy had started to walk, knowing all too well that he had nowhere to go but up. His boys had the exits blocked off and Tommy was on his way to the top. Riley climbed up the middle of the parkade to the next level as Billy kept walking around to the ramp. She motioned that Hume wasn't on that level, that's when the two of them heard gunshots.

Riley stared at Billy and watched as he picked up the pace, still not running but speed walking. Riley climbed up another level, Billy was almost there before she made her way up the next level.

"Riley don't fucking go anywhere!" He barked at her. She froze to the ground, on the same level as he was. He stepped closer to her and waited, listening for any clue that Hume was dead.

Riley's head jerked back to the side of the parkade in time to see the red sedan fall from the top floor right down into the parking lot where they had been minutes earlier. She took off for the side of the parkade to see what was going on. She stared straight down at the upside-down car before hearing squealing tires. She looked back to where Billy had been standing but he was nowhere to be seen. She ran for the stairs of the parkade and took them two at a time, almost falling more than once. She hit the bottom level and shot out through the door. She looked down the road both ways, not seeing the boys anywhere, before taking off back towards the office.

_XxxxxxXxxxxxX_

She walked up the steps to the office and pushed the doors open. She was gasping for air when she walked into the room with the rest of the guys. Billy jerked his head back and looked at her, bent over, gasping, trying to breathe. Bodie ran over to her and helped her get closer to the boys. He put her on a stool where she collapsed over it, not sitting on it at all, just falling onto it.

Baggy, Heco and Bodie stood beside her, looking at Billy for some sort of guidance. The only sound in the room was her gasping for air.

"Get her some fucking water!" Billy ordered, his glare landing on Jamie.

Jamie was gone faster than anyone could throw in the word fuck. Billy turned his back to the boys and ran a hand over his bald head. He grunted and by the time he turned back around, Riley was on the floor leaning against the stool, chugging back the water as though it was the last bit on earth.

"Billy?" Bodie questioned.

"Fuck!" He yelled.

Riley hoisted herself up off the floor and stood there. Sweat was rolling down her face, she could feel it running down her legs. They had run with her the entire chase but when the chase was over, she had run a good twenty minutes longer than any of them.

"Where's Tommy?" She asked.

Bodie dropped his head but leaned in close to her.

"He's gone." Bodie whispered.

Riley growled and glared at Bodie.

"Fuck you guys!" She barked, taking off running, right out of the building.

The frustration of not getting Hume was intense. The only person who was even remotely more frustrated than her was Billy. She stopped running as soon as she hit the outdoors. She walked right past the two Mustangs and headed down the road. She was done for the day; there was nothing more she was going to do.


	7. Split

**_Chapter 7_**

Riley didn't go right back to the apartment, she didn't go the Four Roses. She started to talk towards the river but never made it. She made it about half way before it got really dark, that was when she finally decided that she should probably go _home_.

She had encountered the two teens again, trying to mug a poor old lady who was just in the wrong part of town at the wrong time. Riley jogged across the street and tapped one on the shoulder.

With just the sight of her, the two boys cowered slightly, but only for a second. The younger one did step back but watched as the second, and older, boy tried to tackle Riley. He punched her, cutting her lip in the process. That made her angry. She stepped closer to him and grabbed his arm, twisting it so far back that she heard it pop. He dropped to the ground, screaming in pain. The old lady looked at Riley.

"Thank you but young lady, your lip is bleeding, can I help you?" She asked.

"No, I'll be fine." Riley nodded, walking around the old lady and heading for home.

When she walked in through the door, Billy jumped up off the couch and looked at her, all the way from the living room. She waved at him, shutting the door behind her. Billy was in front of her in less than two seconds, looking at her lip, then at her face. He grabbed her chin and tilted her head up, getting a better look at her face.

"Billy I'm fine." She stated.

"Your lip-"

"Yeah it's split _wide_ open. Back off."

"Fuck you Riley." He looked at her. His tone wasn't angry, or even irritated, it was almost as though he was amused by her predicament.

"You wish." She stated.

He let go of her chin and grabbed her wrist, but not hard. He gently tugged on her arm, leading her into the bathroom. He sat her down on the toilet, which he flipped shut, and she looked up at him. Billy popped open the medicine cabinet and grabbed a disinfectant wipe from the vast collection of homemade injury repair items. He ripped the packet open and dabbed at her lip with the wipe, she let him dab it once before pulling her head away.

"Fuck that hurts." She snarled.

"Toughen the fuck up." He laughed.

She turned her head back to glare at him but he was prepared with the wipe. He dabbed at it and ended up wiping it too before she pulled away again.

"Holy shit!" She yelled.

"Finally something that can hurt my fucking Riley." He was smirking at her now.

She remained perfectly still as he finished wiping off the dried blood. He tossed the wipe into the small garbage can beside the toilet before sitting himself on the side of the tub, looking at her.

"You gunna tell me what happened so I can beat the fucker?"

In a sick and twisted way, he was mean because he cared. He threatened because he wanted to protect her.

"You should see the other guy." She joked, finally cracking a smile at him.

She stood up, off of the toilet and took a small step towards him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her to him. Even if he was sitting, and she standing, his head was still resting on her chest. She set her arms around his neck and stood there, just letting him hold her.

"Riley, I really do need you."

She rubbed his shoulders as he continued to hold onto her.

_XxxxxxXxxxxX_

She had woken up yet again to find the bed empty. She pushed the covers away and stood up, walking out of the bedroom, towards the bathroom. She pushed the closed bathroom door open and walked in, hearing Billy in the shower. She knew this was rare, him still being at the apartment when she woke up, so instead of just shrugging it off, she stripped off her clothes and climbed into the shower with him.

He jumped slightly, never having been disturbed in the shower before. As soon as he saw that it was Riley, he relaxed. She smiled at him as he finished washing off his face. He extended his arms at her and she walked right into them, holding onto him as the water ran over them both.

His hands roamed down her back, she let out a laugh as he stopped them on her butt and pulled her against him. She lifted up her right leg and wrapped it around his waist. He lifted her up to the point where her other foot was off the bottom of the tub, that was when she wrapped it around his waist too.

"Riley."

At the sound of her name she dropped her legs and let go of him, putting a gap between them. The way he said her name, it was as though Joe was still around. It sounded exactly like Joe. She stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her before collapsing onto the floor on her knees. Billy poked his head out of the shower.

"I'm sorry Riley." He said it more as though he had to, not that he wanted to.

She shook her head at him and moved her hands closer to her heart, holding the towel with white knuckles.

"Earth to Riley!"

She was staring at the floor, almost in a trance. He turned the shower off and climbed out, pulling his deep blue jeans on and sitting beside her. He set his hand on her shoulder and she looked at him. Her eyes were lost and the way she looked at him was eerie.

"Babe, you okay?"

She stood up, his hand falling off of her shoulder. She walked out of the bathroom, her bare feet making small thumps on the floor. When she approached Joe's room, she walked right in and pulled open the beaten up old dresser. She tossed one of Joe's old, light gray t-shirts onto the bed, and then dropped the towel.

The t-shirt felt soft against her damp skin. It was much too large but after pulling on some black underwear, she tied a small knot in the hem of the t-shirt so that it hugged her hips nicely. She rolled the sleeves up partially so they didn't hand down to her elbows. Billy turned into his brother's room and watched her as she stood there in nothing but her underwear and the t-shirt.

"Why Joe?" She asked, a single tear rolling down each cheek.

"I don't know." Billy shrugged.

He wasn't going to try and comfort her. He wasn't going to tell her that it was fate or that God took him because it was time. He told her all her knew, which wasn't anything. Riley grabbed a pair of her jeans off the bed and pulled them on.

"He was my best friend Billy. The only person who ever really gave a damn."

"Jesus Riley. I give a damn."

Riley looked at him and nodded her head. She bit her lip but still smiled at him.

"I got into a fight tonight." She stated.

"Yeah?" He nodded, glancing at her lip.

"I think they were maybe fourteen. I got punched in the face by a fourteen-year-old, scrawny-ass, twig-armed little boy."

"I know you can take a punch." He nodded at her once again.

"I can." She repeated.

"It's the giving the punches that you have trouble with."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Riley asked, somewhat offended.

"You throw out your fucking punches without a second thought. It's not always a bad thing but you seem to cause more fucking trouble when you fight with people."

Riley looked off to the side, pondering what he had said.

"I could just start shooting people…like you." She stated.

Billy just laughed at her, a deep, amusing laugh. He turned around and walked away from her. She heard him laugh some more before slamming the door shut. Even with a barrier between her and him, she could still hear him laughing. A few minutes later, he had stopped laughing and she had snickered to herself. Another first for her, she made Billy Darley laugh.


	8. Montana

**_Chapter 8_**

Riley stood out on the street as the boys worked on getting Joe something for of funeral. All they really wanted was for his body to be cremated; Riley knew that's exactly what they would get. She paced the sidewalk, growing impatient with them. The door chimed as Billy stormed out, the boys following behind him. They gathered around Riley.

"So, what are we doing today?" Riley asked, trying to make casual conversation.

It was Heco who was about to explain it to her, but he was stopped, dead silent, as Bones drove by them. He pulled up past them and onto a small side street just a few yards up the sidewalk. Billy shoved Riley behind him and waited as Bones climbed out of the car and marched up to them.

She knew what Bones did to him. It was obvious to anyone close to Billy. Bones abused him, verbally and emotionally. He did the same thing to Joe but Billy ended up taking a lot of Joe's heat. Riley was almost completely invisible to Bones, that was Billy's intention. She remained absolutely still behind him, knowing that if she moved Bones would certainly be on her case for something.

Moments later, after watching Billy's neck turn red from suppressing his anger, Bones walked away. Riley waited for the sound of the car to be completely gone before she moved from behind Billy. He had turned around and was looking down at her.

"Bodie, you better get that fucking job done." Billy said, not taking his eyes off Riley.

Bodie hopped into the red Mustang, most of the remaining gang members climbing with him. Billy still looked down at Riley, motioning for the remaining three boys to get a move on. They turned around and started walking down the street. Billy moved his head slightly and looked down the street, past her.

"Let's go." He demanded, taking a step towards the car.

She didn't feel like arguing that day. Instead, she grabbed for his hand and took a hold of it. Billy froze, stopping completely in his tracks. He looked at his hand, hers was holding it.

"The fuck?" Billy scowled at her.

"Thanks for taking care of Joe." She replied.

He jerked his hand forward, she moved with it. He caught her as she collided with his chest. She made eye contact with him as he held onto her.

"I don't say this often…" He started.

"But?" Riley was holding back a smile.

"No more fucking public displays like that." He growled.

Riley rolled her eyes at him, pushing herself away. She angrily got into the car, the passenger seat, as he walked around and got into the driver's seat. She didn't look at him, she stared out the window. He started the car up and pulled away, not bothering to say a word to her. They had been driving in silence for a few minutes before Riley spoke again.

"Why couldn't you have been a normal guy?" She asked, it was an open question, up for debate to anyone in the car, which left her and Billy.

"Normal?"

"Yeah. You couldn't be like an engineer designing some huge project in order to get the big raise at the office? I wanted to live just outside of town, in the countryside with a dog to keep my company. Too bad you couldn't be Billy Darley, the best looking guy in town with the best reputation? No, of course not, you have to be Billy Darley gang lord extraordinaire."

"What the fuck does that have anything to do with?" He asked.

"When I was little I used to dream of meeting the perfect man and moving out to Montana to live my life with no major incidents, instead I get tangled up in your life." She said it as though it was a bad thing, Billy was getting offended.

"What the fuck is in Montana?"

"I was seven!" She retorted.

"Hate to break it to ya Riley but you came on to me."

She looked over at him and saw the look on his face. He was trying to pin her failed dreams on her; she wasn't exactly disappointed with the way her life turned out.

"Billy, I like what I have with you." She said.

"What?"

"I like where I ended up. I mean you're not exactly the perfect gentleman and you do get insanely angry but I wouldn't want to be anywhere else."

Billy sighed. Riley set her hand on his knee and smiled.

"Riley…"

"Yeah?"

"Stop fucking going soft on me." Billy said. She let out a small laugh.

"Fine." She whined, she knew he made him angry when she whined.

_XxxxxxXxxxxxX_

Riley walked from the bar back to the table with the guys. She remained standing up as she passed out beers to the few who had already downed one. She took a sip from the last beer she had brought over before handing it to Billy. He gave her a small smirk, quick so that no one saw. Riley pushed herself away from the table and went to sit at the bar. She enjoyed the bar more than that table with the guys, she always did.

She was listening in on the conversation between the two guys beside her. It was nothing relevant or even interesting for that matter, she was just listening for the sake of listening. The only reason she was in the bar was because of Billy. He had to be there to take a 'phone call'. She knew all about the plan, to threaten him on the phone then take out his family. No big deal. The more Riley thought about it, the more her heart sank.

So what if Nick Hume killed Joe and maybe Tommy. He had a family, another son and a wife who loved him. She didn't really care about the wife as much as the son. She grew up with a dead father, she could relate to this kid. At least, if all went according to plan, they would all be dead; she really wished that the kid would survive.

She quit listening to the two guys and looked over at the table, Billy was missing. She sighed before standing up and marching back there, sitting down on the edge of the booth beside Heco. He looked at her and smiled.

"Hey guys." She grinned.

"What's up Riley?" Heco asked.

"Nothing." She shrugged.

"How you holding up?" Heco was the only one talking to her now.

"Fine." She answered. He set his hand on her knee, trying to comfort her. She swallowed loudly and looked at him, her eyes were clearly sad.

"It's gunna be over soon." He nodded.

"Yeah." She chirped.

"Yeah."

"Then what?" She asked.

Heco looked at her, a dumb expression on his face.

"I don't know."

"It's never going to end Heco."

Heco shrugged at her. She stood up and walked away from the table yet again. She grabbed a shot from the bar, tossed it down her throat and walked right out of the bar.

Billy had seen her; he finished the conversation, slamming the phone down before running after her. He had caught up with her; she was down the street a little bit. He grabbed her shoulders and spun her around. She looked at him.

"What the fuck is wrong with you now?" He asked.

"I can't watch you do this." She answered.

They stared at each other, daring the other one to speak after that. Riley widened her stance and broke eye contact.

"What's your fucking problem?"

"Look _Darley_, it's not going to end with Hume." She stated.

Billy lowered his head and scoffed. Riley shoved her hands into her pockets and relaxed her stance. He raised his head and looked at her again.

"What do you want me to do?" He asked, he was calming down.

"Well why do you have to hide me from the guys, why can't you just show some affection now and then in front of them?"

He knew actions spoke louder than words. It was clear in the way that he stepped forward, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. He walked with her back into the bar, right back to the table where he sat. He pulled her down beside him and held her tight against him. Sending a glare around the table, Billy easily subdued any teasing or smart remarks about him. Riley looked at Heco and smirked. He had known all about them, it wasn't unobvious.


	9. Regret

**_Chapter 9_**

Riley walked out of the bar not angry or running for once. She had requested to be dropped off before the guys set out on their little mission. Her conscience was the majority in her brain now and if she couldn't talk Billy out of it, she just wouldn't be a part of it.

Wandering around the apartment, Riley started thinking again. She was thinking about Joe and the river, the day they first met. She was thinking of the day when he introduced her to Billy and then afterwards when he praised and scolded her for not being scared of him.

_Joe had waited almost a year before letting Riley tag along with him. She had taken up house in an old apartment building that Joe was providing for her. He would visit her everyday, hanging out with her for most of the time before taking her back and making sure she didn't leave again until he showed up the next day. There were even a couple instances when Joe didn't show up for a couple days, although she never worried, he always seemed to come back. _

_He dragged her along the sidewalk, outside the front of her building. She was almost thirteen, and already as strong as Joe, if not stronger. She had been begging him for weeks, almost months, to let her know what he did when he wasn't with her. He had finally given in to her constant nagging and whining. _

_Now he dragged her up the street. They walked for maybe fifteen minutes before Joe stopped, looking at the abandoned mental hospital. Riley's hand immediately latched onto his and held on tight. Joe gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, which relaxed Riley completely. She had never really been scared of anything before, why should she be now._

"_What is this?" She asked, letting go of his hand and wandering up the steps._

"_The Office." Joe replied with such confidence that she would have believed him even if he called it the white house. _

"_And what do you do in this office?"_

_She wasn't stupid. She knew that he was involved in drugs and whatnot. He tried his best to hide it but she was a very intelligent twelve-year-old. She figured he didn't actually do the drugs as much as he sold and trafficked them._

"_Make stuff." _

_He was trying to make his lifestyle seem less dangerous than it was. The best he could come up with was 'make stuff'. She snorted at his answer but received a glare almost instantaneously._

_He stepped up behind her and grabbed her wrist, lurching her forward. He was walking extremely fast now, down the dark and damp hall towards a large, square room right in the center of everything. She held her breath after catching a whiff of the smell. Joe just snickered at her._

_He stopped pulling her and let go when he got halfway into the square room, spotting six or seven other guys. Riley's eyes widened and she started to look around. She was oblivious to the death glare she was getting from one guy, Joe reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her back towards him. She looked at the group and locked eyes with Billy Darley._

"_Joe get you're girlfriend out of here." The one glaring at her said._

"_Billy wait a second." Joe was pleading._

"_What Joe?"_

"_Joe you're going to take that from him?" Riley broke her stare with him and glanced at Joe. _

"_Billy this is Riley, Riley, my brother Billy." Joe looked at Riley then at Billy then back to Riley._

"_Joe why'd you bring her here?" Billy asked, his anger rising._

"_Look Buddy, why you gotta be so mean?" She asked, trying to step towards him, Joe pulled her back._

"_What are you four?" Billy spat out at her._

"_Twelve, almost thirteen." She was giving him attitude right back._

"_Joey, come here."_

_Joe looked at his brother and complied with his demands. He left Riley standing there by herself, a few of the gang members looking at her, trying to figure out what was going on. Billy grabbed Joe by the arm and shoved him into a corner where he proceeded to poke and prod him, telling him off for bringing the girl._

_Riley walked forwards and stopped only when she was a foot away from the group of guys. They all looked at her but one guy stepped away and bent down._

"_I'm Heco." He introduced himself._

"_Name's Riley." Riley stuck her hand out to him and he took it, shaking it lightly._

"_Well, these guys are my friends Spink, Jamie, Tommy, Bodie, Baggy and Dog."_

_There was a simultaneous 'hey' from the guys. Riley looked at them, smiled at them and then waved at them. _

"_How are you in the kitchen?" Heco asked her._

"_I love cooking!" She replied, her eyes wide with excitement._

_Heco stood up straight and glanced at Billy, he was still telling Joe the rules in the back corner. Heco then looked at the contraption he was set to use to make his share of drugs. Heco took Riley by the hand and urged her forward, towards a stool. He helped her up onto it and started to walk her through the way to make drugs._

_Joe looked over Billy's shoulder and his eyes widened. He watched for a few minutes, ignoring Billy all together. Billy caught him not listening but followed Joe's gaze and spotted Riley, sitting there, content as ever, just making him product. _

"_Joe." Billy started, grabbing him by the shoulder and pushing him towards her. _

_Joe almost smiled, watching as Heco praised her for her good job. Billy walked up and stood behind Heco and Riley, watching carefully. Joe broke free of Billy's grasp and leaned in close to Riley. He set his hand on her shoulder and she looked at him. Joe smiled at her. The sentimental moment was forgotten as Billy shoved Heco away and set his hand on the back of her neck, squeezing it slightly. Riley turned her head and glared at him._

"_Get your hands off me!" She screamed, standing up and trying to shove him. He barely moved but he did let go of her neck._

"_Joe!" Billy yelled, "Get her out of here!"_

_Joe lunged forward, grabbing her arm. He pulled her out of there faster than anything he had ever done before. He pulled her as Billy kept muttering, swearing at her occasionally. As much as Billy hated to admit it, she deemed a valuable skill to him._

_Joe walked with her back to the apartment she was living in before sitting down beside her on the couch. He turned his head to look at her, she smirked at him._

"_Please don't ever talk to Billy like that again."_

"_Well someone has to stand up for you." She retorted._

"_Just please don't make him angry."_

"_Fine Joe." She rolled her eyes. She wasn't going to just let Billy push her, or Joe, around so easily anymore._

Riley fell onto the couch and sighed before letting out a laugh. She never did keep that promise to Joe, in fact, she did the complete opposite. She argued with Billy many times, even the first day that she started 'working' for him. She spent most of the first few months in the office, cooking up the product for him to sell. She even remembered _one time_ when he had actually complimented her on how good of a job she had done.

It was never Joe's intention for her to get caught up with him and his brother, not in the slightest. It just happened that way. If it were completely up to Joe, he would have kept her clueless to what he did at nights, or the people that he hung out with. It was her own fault; she begged and pleaded with him to let her know what the big secret was. It was her biggest regret, but at the same time, her favourite mistake.


	10. Out

**_Chapter 10_**

She was half asleep when Billy walked into the apartment. She was on the couch, lying down but he was already sitting on the floor in front of the couch before she had a chance to move. He leaned his head back and rested it on the couch; she set her hand on the side of his head and waited for him to speak.

"What the fuck is in Montana?" He asked.

He wasn't necessarily angry. She figured he was probably relieved; he had shot Nick Hume and his remaining family, that was the plan. Riley let out a small laugh before sitting up and sliding down to the floor to sit beside him.

"Geysers." She laughed.

"Geysers?"

"Yeah like little volcanoes only with water instead of lava."

"I know what a fucking geyser is." He said, turning his head to look at her.

She shrugged at him. He had given off the feeling that he was clueless to what a geyser was. He lifted his arm up and set it on her shoulders.

"You really wanna go to fucking Montana?" He asked.

"Not really." She answered with a smirked.

"Why not?"

"It lost its appeal when I found out that the only thing special about Montana was geysers." She joked.

"It sounds like the perfect place to me." He whispered.

She let out a laugh but leaned against him. His arm tightened around her and she sighed. Maybe Montana wasn't looking so bad after all.

_XxxxxxXxxxxxX_

Riley had heard him leave the apartment but that didn't stop her from remaining in bed. She lay there, staring at the ceiling, more memories of Joe, more of Billy too. Riley groaned before realizing that if she didn't get up in the next few minutes, she would probably pee herself. She tore her eyes off the ceiling and jogged to the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind her.

When she emerged, she found Heco, sitting on the couch, almost as though he was waiting for her. She zipped up the jeans she had found hanging over the tub and marched up beside him.

"He didn't die Riley." Heco said quietly.

"Who?"

"That Hume prick."

"Did you tell Billy?" She asked him, almost afraid of the answer.

"No. Riley I'm not going to. It's over, Hume's not coming after us again."

Riley's jaw tightened. It was never going to be over, if anyone should have known that Heco was the one, he had agreed with her that it wasn't going to be over anytime soon.

"Heco, he's going to find out and he's going to do something."

"Riley fucking help me."

"With what?"

"I don't want to do this anymore."

Riley let out a laugh. Of all the guys she had met, Heco was probably the most likely to want to get on with his life. She saw the hints he gave off, he stopped showing up for his shifts, it was just a matter of time before he voiced it out loud.

"You're kind of stuck." She stated.

"That's why I need your help."

"Heco, I can't help you." She looked at him, her eyes were sad.

He sighed, knowing that he was the only one who could do anything about it. Riley stood up and grabbed her jacket, walking back around to stand in front of Heco.

"Can you take me somewhere?" She asked.

Heco nodded slowly before standing up. They exited the apartment, Riley pulling the door shut and locking it behind her.

_XxxxxxXxxxxxX_

She poked her head around the corner and spotted the cops sitting outside of his room. She moved her entire body around the corner and headed for the desk just a few yards closer to her than his room. She leaned her elbows on the desk and waited patiently for the nurse to hang up the phone and look at her.

"How can I help you today miss?" The nurse asked politely.

"Yeah I'm wondering what room Mister Hume is in."

The nurse flipped up some papers and then glanced at the cops. Riley flashed the nurse a smile when her eyes landed on the chart.

"Unfortunately Mister Hume _checked himself out_ of here this morning but his son, Lukas Hume is just down the hall."

"Can I see him?" She asked, removing her arms from the desk.

"I'll give you fifteen minutes miss." The nurse smiled.

Riley pushed herself off of the desk and slowly walked down the hall. With every step closer, her heartbeat picked up. Why had she come here, to see Hume? She hadn't exactly understood, it was just something she felt she needed to do. Hume had 'checked himself out', if he wasn't dead, neither was his hatred for the gang.

She pushed Hume to the back of her mind as she walked into the room, seeing Lukas' body, almost lifeless. She only knew he was alive by the faint movement of his chest going up and down with each breath. She stepped up beside the bed and set her hand on his.

"Hey kid." She started, tears welling up in her eyes at the sight of the bandages wrapped around his head and face.

A tear rolled down each cheek as she ran her finger over top of his knuckles.

"I'm sorry for what happened to you. I know that doesn't change anything but I guess I needed you to know that even if I'm supposed to be the bad guy, I do care about other people."

She let out a sob then paused in her little speech, regaining some composure. Her sob, unknowingly, caught the attention of one of the officers outside in the hall. He had stood up and stood outside, listening to Riley talk.

"There's no excuse for what happened to you, not even revenge or anger. I just thought I'd drop by and give you my number, in case you want to talk, about anything."

She wiped a tear from her cheek with her free hand then she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small piece of paper folded in half. Her name was on the front and her number was on the inside. She placed it on the table beside his bed, standing up so her name faced him.

"If you don't call me, I completely understand but no matter what, I won't abandon you if you do call."

With that, Riley let go of his hand and took one final look at the boy. In one swift motion, she was out the door and down the hall, the officer watching her as she disappeared. He would certainly be telling the kid, when he woke up, about this girl.


	11. Over

**_Chapter 11_**

Riley stepped out of the hospital and took off running down the street. She wasn't running from the cops, she wasn't running out of fear, she was running to get to the office. She knew most of the boys were there, she was going to warn them, going to tell them to protect themselves and if she absolutely had to, she was going to protect them herself.

She ran, faster with each stride, her adrenaline pumping through her veins. She ran until the city turned into her neighbourhood. There was no more nice buildings and sophisticated people anymore, it was just run down, old, abandoned buildings and tough looking punks. She ran past the Four Roses and knew she was almost there.

The night had started to fall, leaving the sky a deep blue. A light gray cloud surrounded the moon and the stars were few and far between.

Turning into the busted open gates, she stopped dead in her tracks, spotting the crash. There was smoke billowing out of one car and another was completely destroyed.

The van, a dead gang member hanging out of it, was split right down the middle in two. The red Mustang was stopped against the steps, the hood crumpled and releasing black smoke, right in the middle of the two pieces of the van. Away from the broken van was Bones car and even farther away was Billy's Mustang, both vehicles were unharmed.

Her heart stopped, she ran right into the middle of the crash, turned her back towards the doors of the office as she walked up the stairs backwards. She hit the top, flat part, and broke out into a run.

Bones, Billy, Heco, all their cars were here yet she somehow felt as though, at least, one of them was already dead. She stormed through the doors of the office and turned the corner, spotting Dog. His right leg was completely separated from his body and his chest was blown to pieces. Riley stopped running, trying to pass the body without disturbance. She covered her mouth after seeing his cold, empty eyes. She fought back a scream and knew now for certain that Hume had beaten her here.

Riley dropped her hand from her mouth and reached around to her back, pulling her Colt out of her belt. She crept now, through the winding hallways of the building, trying to remain unnoticed and unheard. When she came across Jamie, lying on the floor, bleeding from a bullet hole in his body, she jumped back, her back pressed against the wall.

"Fuck!" She screamed.

She took off again, realizing that she was probably one of the few left alive. She ran faster and faster up the stairs. More of the boys' bodies, more queasiness in her gut. She felt nauseous, knowing that the scene at the top of the stairs wasn't going to be any less gruesome.

She jumped up the last couple stairs and flung herself around the corner. That was when she heard the blazing of bullets. She lost count after ten but knew there were far more than twenty-five.

"Jesus Fuck!" She screamed again and dashed forward.

She had her gun in her hand, her knuckles white with fear, prepared for anything. Turning the corner into the hall towards the church, she spotted Bodie. He wasn't moving, he wasn't even breathing. A pool of blood was around his head, inching farther and farther away from his skull as his head continued to bleed. She fought back a gag and stepped over him, stepping into the church. She spotted the two men, sitting on a worn down pew, speaking to each other.

She stepped quietly into the church and heard Hume.

"You ready?" He asked.

She watched carefully as he struggled to lift a gun up to Billy's temple. Riley swallowed the lump in her throat and managed to scream at him.

"Drop the fucking gun now!" Riley screamed, taking a few more steps and pressing the gun against the back of Hume's head.

She waited for a second but he refused to budge.

"Drop the fucking gun NOW!" She cocked her own gun.

The click it made seemed to faze Hume as he slowly and carefully dropped the gun away from Billy's head. Riley poked Hume's head with her gun.

"Stand up!" She yelled.

Hume struggled to stand up and as soon as he was remotely close to being on his feet, he stumbled forward, landing on the ground with a sickening thud.

"I suggest you go the fuck home!" She jerked the gun at him.

His eyes flickered but she held her stance. If he thought Billy was tough to take down, he had no idea what was going to happen if he even _tried_ to take Riley out.

"Go see your fucking kid!" Riley screamed some more.

Hume managed to get to his feet, his arms hung down in front of him and he used them for support as he practically crawled out of the church. Riley kept her gun pointed at his back. She only dropped her arm when he had been gone for a good five minutes. She dropped the gun to the floor and walked around to sit next to Billy on the pew.

"What the fuck are you trying to prove?" She asked.

"Riley." His voice was quiet.

She looked down at his side, he moved his hand away. She gasped at his lack of three fingers. Then she moved her eyes up his arm, spotting a second wound. She kept her eyes moving, not seeing the exact reason why his side was coated in blood although she guessed it was probably another bullet hole.

"Billy no." She whispered.

He lifted up the hand that still had a full set of fingers and set it against her cheek. She watched him, flinching at the pain, but refusing to stop.

"Riley I'm sorry."

He gave her a sort of laugh; it turned into a groan from all the pain.

"No." She whispered, setting her hand on top of his, holding it against her face.

He pulled her face close to his and rested her forehead against his. She was crying now, tears running down her face, leaving streaks as they washed away the dust that had settled on her skin.

"Riley." She knew she wasn't going to hear him say many more words.

"Come on Darley, toughen up."

"Riley I don't need you." He was totally ignoring her. She tried her hardest to glare at him for that but with her glare just came more tears.

"I need _you_ Billy." She said back to him.

"I don't _need_ you, Riley, I _love _you."

"No." She squeaked.

"Riley, I love you."

"I love you too Billy, please hold on."

He leaned closer to her and locked his lips with hers. Suddenly her split lip seemed like nothing, now that the only person she had left in her life was slipping away from her. His kiss wasn't forceful at all; it didn't even feel like Billy's kisses at all. It was gentle, passionate and full of emotion. He let go of her face and pulled back just enough so that he broke their lips apart.

"You're going fucking soft on me again Riley." He whispered.

Riley gave him a smile, the last smile he would ever see. He kissed her once again, quicker though. When he pulled away this time he slid down on the pew a bit. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him, holding him tight against her body. She cried into his shoulder.

When she finally pulled her head away from his shoulder, she looked at his eyes. They were closed. He looked peaceful. She let out a loud sigh and gave him one last kiss on his already smiling lips.

She slid out from under him and dragged her feet across the church floor. It was over. For Billy, it was finally over.


	12. Epilogue

**_Chapter 12_**

Riley climbed into Bones car, still not fully understanding why it was at the office if Bones himself wasn't. It didn't matter though, she knew he was dead somewhere. She drove towards the Bodyshop, Bones' Bodyshop and pulled in carelessly. She climbed out and slammed the door shut, leaning against the side of the car and glaring at the moon.

"Fuck!" She yelled. The moon didn't reply, she knew it wouldn't.

She drove her fist into the car, not hard enough to cause any damage, not to her or the car. The punch was out of frustration.

She stepped off of the car and waltzed right into the portion of the bodyshop that was clearly Bones' office. She walked right up to the desk and leaned over it. She grabbed the duffel bag lying lifelessly on the side of the desk and ripped it open.

She used her arm and scooped all of the bullets and ammunition into the bag. The desk was cleaned off. She hopped over the desk, the duffel bag over her shoulder, and started punching at the wall, knowing that somewhere, there was a cabinet full of guns; all she had to do was find it.

She punched the wall in various places, harder and harder. She punched the wall, all the way down to the group of pictures hanging from it. She punched at a decorative metal piece of art and it sprang up at her. She pulled at it first, nothing happened. She then pushed on it, again, nothing. She growled at it and started to turn it. She turned it a couple times around and the similar metal piece down the wall a couple feet popped up.

Sidestepping, she put her hand on it and pulled with all her might. When it moved, she pulled harder, revealing a whole case full of guns and a huge stack of money. She grabbed all the smaller guns and tossed them in the bag before staring at the different assortment of big guns.

She pulled the duffel bag shut and set it on the desk, opening the drawers and rummaging through. Pulling out another bag, Riley set to work on putting the shotguns and large rifles into the bag. When the cabinet was completely empty, she shoved the door shut, grabbed the first bag and walked out of the bodyshop with two duffle bags full of guns and a smaller bag in her hand, stuffed full of money.

Driving down the road, the duffel bags full of guns in the trunk and the money bag in the front seat, Riley headed for the apartment. It seemed like a longer drive than it was; it had everything to do with no one being there when she reached it. Again, Riley parked carelessly outside the apartment. She locked the car and jammed the keys into her pocket.

She kicked the door open and strode through the apartment, heading right foe Joe's room. There was a suitcase in the closet that she grabbed and tossed on the bed. It was open, waiting for her next move. She whipped open his dresser and tossed any of her clothes into the suitcase. She finished with the dresser, even throwing in a shirt or two of Joe's.

Leaving the suitcase on Joe's bed, she quickly made her way into Billy's room, instantly grabbing the two leather coats that were lying on the bed. She pulled Joe's on over top of her own leather jacket and held Billy's in her arm. She pulled open his dresser and grabbed a couple of his t-shirts.

When her arms were full, she dashed back to Joe's room and dropped the t-shirts into the suitcase. She set the jacket on the bed and ran right back into Billy's room. She tossed all of the clothes in his drawer around the room, digging for anything. She had spotted a small brown box in the back corner of the drawer and grabbed it viciously. She lifted the top off the box and smiled.

She reached around the back of her neck and secured Billy's silver cross. She ran her finger along the chain and held onto the cross, letting out a sigh. Riley tossed the box back into the drawer and slammed it shut. The cross bounced against her neck as she jogged back into Joe's room. Closing the suitcase first, Riley then lifted it and set it over her shoulder. She held onto the strap with her right hand and picked up Billy's leather jacket with her left hand, draping it over her arm.

She pulled the apartment door shut behind her and bounced down the stairs, pushing her way through the door back into the dark of night. Her suitcase fit in the trunk, even with all the guns. She shut it and climbed into the car. With one final glance at the apartment, Riley pulled away for the last time.

_XxxxxxXxxxxxX_

She had made it to Montana in a few days, not staying at any form of hotel or motel or inn. She had driven through a few cities in Montana already when a used car dealership caught her eye. She turned off the highway and drove a few more minutes towards the dealership. She pulled in and turned the car off before climbing out and locking it behind her.

A man wandered out of the small building that was part of the dealership. His hair was black and slicked back, the perfect image for a used car salesman. She didn't care if he wanted to rip her off, she just wanted a car.

"Name's Dean of 'Dean Garcia Used Car Sales'." He said, extending his hand out to her. She didn't take it at all. She was too disgusted with the cheap, light blue suit he was wearing.

"I'm looking to buy that car over there." Riley stared at him and pointed her hand back.

Her finger was pointed on a pure black, 1975 Mustang. It was the reason she was drawn to the dealership; it was a perfect starter car for her.

"Ooooh that's my personal favourite-"

"Cut the shit. How much for the fucking car?" She asked, keeping her eyes on him. She wasn't exactly trying to be intimidating but her 'I don't give a shit anymore' attitude was making it quite easy.

"Ten grand." He replied.

"I'll give you twelve grand and that car if you just give me the keys and call it a day."

She titled her head at him. If she had to, she had full reign of about fifty guns in the trunk of her car. He looked like he was thinking about her offer.

"Deal." He said, not even bothering to extend his hand to her, knowing that she wasn't going to shake it.

Riley turned around, opened the driver's door and reached for her moneybag. She pulled out twelve grand and walked back towards the guy. His eyes widened at the sight of all the wads of cash. She growled at him and he ran back into the tiny building, she had presumed he was grabbing the keys.

When he walked back out, he had two sets of keys in his hand, both looked exactly the same. She took the keys from his hand and handed him the money and the keys she had fro the car she was driving.

"You need any help with anything else today lil' Missy?"

"No." She barked.

He watched her carefully as she popped the trunk of the old car from inside the driver's door. She first moved her suitcase from the trunk of her car to the new Mustang's trunk. She then looked at him and growled again. He turned around and wandered into the building, peeking at her from the window. She then walked back to the trunk and grabbed the two duffels, still full of guns. She closed the trunk of the old car and set the duffels into the trunk of her new car. The last thing she did was grab the rest of the cash from the seat of the old car. She then climbed into the Mustang and took off, getting back on the highway.

_XxxxxxXxxxxxX_

Riley drove another half day, getting as far away from the dealer as possible yet still remaining in Montana. She had turned off the highway yet again, settling on trying to start a new life in a town called Darby. It had a population of less than a thousand but she didn't care. It was far enough away from her old life that no one would know any different.

She drove down the road, finding a small apartment building with a sign out front advertising vacant apartments inside. She took a mental note and decided that she'd come back to it later on in the day, for now though, she just wanted to drive.

She continued on, just outside the town when she saw it. It was beautiful; she pulled off of the road and parked the car. Stepping out, she made sure the car was locked, leaving her moneybag on the front seat. She took a few steps towards the calm, untouched river. She squatted down beside it and tossed a rock, breaking the surface.

She sat down on the ground and stared at the river, her knees up in the air, her arms wrapped around them. She rested her chin on her one knee and smiled. She had barely even noticed when a young guy walked up and sat down beside her. She slowly turned her head and smiled at him.

"What's a girl like you doing out here by herself?" He asked, smiling at her.

"Celebrating." She smiled back.

"Celebrating what?"

"It's my birthday today." She nodded.

"Well then happy birthday…" He trailed off, not knowing her name.

"Riley." She finished it off for him.

"That's a nice name. I'm Tyson."

She nodded at him, he sat down beside her. She already liked this Tyson guy, he was built, looked strong and had the cutest smile she had seen in a long time. His hair was light brown and stood straight up on his head. She turned her head and looked back out at the river.

"What brings you to Montana?" He asked, nudging her shoulder with his finger.

"Geysers." She answered with a laugh.

"Geysers?"

"Yeah, they're like little volcanoes only with water instead of lava." She explained.

"I know, but why would you want to come all the way to Montana to see geysers?"

Riley bit her lip but his smile urged her to tell him why. She smiled back at him.

"A friend of mine told me Montana was the perfect place." She shrugged.

Tyson let out a laugh at her, she chuckled along with him. He was silent as he sat with her. She glanced up at the sky and smiled. Maybe it was finally over for her too, she was writing a new chapter in her life story and she knew for sure that Tyson was going to be a big part of it.


End file.
